Getting Steeper All the Time The theater is costly, and with good reason. But how many people are turned off by having to pay five times what they would at the movies?

By SEAN MITCHELL

Quote:

One of the many things that appear to cost too much in our entertainment-based culture of immense gratifications remains the theater, the fabulous invalid of the arts that won't go away but also won't let us down from the balcony for less than $50. Or so it often seems, especially on trips to New York. And by the way, have you tried to get your tickets for the "The Producers" at the Pantages yet?

In many a consumer's mind the theater suffers mainly from comparison to that other more popular form of two-hour storytelling, the movies, where you can usually get in for less than $10. To pay two, three, four or five times that to see a play, you have to value the difference: that film is a mass medium, with individual titles showing on thousands of screens across the country at once, while a play is a live event, being performed by actors in real time in a single place for an audience of from 100 to 2,000 people. A particular movie might be good and a particular play bad, but the relative economics of each remain the same.

I do agree that soem people probably do comparre going to a movie with going to a ballet ( ie 2 hours of 'entertainment ' , but really they are so different. A night at a theatre contains so much more. Dressing well, dinner, a glass of wine, watching people, the musicians warming up, the curtain rising, the dancing, the intermissions...., the coffee afterwards,... . It really isn't entertainment, its an event. And I think that one way to tell the difference is that an event is gives one memories. I could probably tell you something about every ballet that I have seen, but I would have a hard time telling you the name of the last movie that I went to. And, as was pointed out, with a little flexibility you can go to the theatre for 10 or 15 dollars, particularily to some of the off the beaten track shows. There certainly may be pricing problems, and I think the ballets would do better financially with more flexibility in there pricing ( for example, perhaps a REAL student discount for one of the nights, or open seating, or something of that sort ), which may help build the audience of the future. A little experimentation wouldn't hurt in this area.

Cabaret de Paris to send kids to the ballet Proceeds from auction items and ticket sales raised the evening's take to $200,000 to benefit the ballet's student matinee series, which sends children to see full-length ballets.

However, if one can't afford the price of a ticket for the 'event,' or isn't sure that the price will be worth it (it's a fair amount of money to take a chance on), then one might very well opt for the 'entertainment' rather than the event.

I think that whether one is willing to pay that much (even necessitating a sacrifice in other areas of life) depends upon the value that one has been taught to place on such events. When my husband was still in school, and we newly married, we bought two of those expensive 'event' tickets for the Bolshoi. It meant eating more potatoes for several meals that week. However, we had been taught to value that 'event' highly enough to make the sacrifice. Though our Depression era parents never went - they taught us to value the experience.

There are of course, as the article that Marie posted in shows, various ways to innovatively price tickets, student discounts, etc., however, there is a limit to which the dance company can lower the price. Or is there?

This is not a one-night stand," Fredmann said to more than 450 guests at the Cabaret de Paris fund-raising gala. "This is a long-term relationship."

:( OK, not going to open up that can of worms again. Anyway, on a lighter note, everytime I go to the movies, between the cost of two tickets, popcorn,water ( unless I am brave and smuggle it in ), and the secret box of Raisinnettes I am pushing $30 - 35 dollars anyway.

Hey, Matthew - I smuggle in fruit (grapes especially) into the movie all the time - shhhh don't tell anyone.

Speaking of a can of worms I shall attempt some math,

In 1962 (the year we first went to the ballet and saw the Bolshoi) I remember very well that a ticket for the best seats was $10.50, ( Philadelphia, Academy of Music) and a salary for that time was around $10,000 (not that my student husband made that - but it was an average salary).

Today the price for best ticket (at least in this area) for a company like the Bolshoi is around 90.00 - while an average salary is around $45,000.

I believe that it works out that a ticket costs twice as much now relative to the salary of the times. (There was sorely needed input from the resident engineer to work out these high mathematical details) (hey, I can count fouettés, so I am not a total loss).

Anywaaaaaaay, prices have gone up. As for gov't subsidies (I think this can be discussed without getting all political ) - does it help with keeping down the price of a ticket? Or does it help with other costs like new productions?

Thanks to everyone who responded to my Sept. 22 column about the outstanding 2002-03 live theater season Cincinnati is enjoying. The majority of responses can be boiled down to: “. . . but it's so expensive!” It doesn't have to be, if you're willing to plan and be creative. more

Gee, on the topic of gov’t subsidies, it would be great if we as a community (read here government) decided that it would be nice to support the arts at such a level. But the problem is deciding what arts to support. Inevitably someone makes something that lots of people don’t like and complain that they paid to have that made, they then get a group of people to start censoring stuff they don’t like and we end up returning to our current situation with no support for the arts. It kinda sucks but if the arts are to be supported by large groups of people, you have to get them to agree on what they will and won’t support, and we all know how hard it is to get a large group to make up its mind…

Half-price tickets to woo arts, culture patrons Each week, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance will e-mail a list of offers for admission to theater, dance, museums and historic sites.

Patricia Horn, Philadelphia Inquirer

Want to see Bobby McFerrin and the Philadelphia Orchestra for half the price next Thursday? Or take in I Do! I Do! for half price at the Hedgerow Theatre? Or visit the Please Touch Museum or the James A. Michener Art Museum at 50 percent off in the next week?

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